First quarter: West Virginia 14, Texas 7

AUSTIN – In a game living up to the wild, frenetic pace many expected, No. 8 West Virginia took advantage of a big kick return, more mistakes by the Texas defense and a second opportunity on fourth down to take a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The Mountaineers needed just 2:07 to score the game’s first touchdown on an 8-yard throw from Geno Smith to Stedman Bailey after Tavon Austin returned the opening kickoff 44 yards.

The No. 11 Longhorns answered with an 83-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 40-yard pass from David Ash to Daje Johnson. UT later blocked a WVU field goal and then appeared to have made another stop, but it turned out the Longhorns had called an ill-timed timeout.

On fourth-and-4 from the UT 40, Malcom Brown sacked Smith, and it looked like the Longhorns would take over. But they’d called timeout just before that play, and given another chance, Smith hit Austin on a 40-yard touchdown pass.